PSNI press officers grabbed international headlines this week when they
declared they had found a “warhead” in west Belfast.

The west Belfast search was one of a string of unusual police actions
this week as tensions mounted within the British state forces ahead of
the summer marching season and the G8 summit of world leaders in County
Fermanagh next June.

The “warhead” was eventually revealed to have been an old RPG rocket
linked to the old Provisional IRA. It was found along with a rusted
rocket launcher dating from the 1980s.

More than ten homes on Hawthorn Street, off Springfield Road in west
Belfast, were evacuated in the incident.

The announcement of the find raised unionist hackles. Jim Allister of
the hardline TUV claimed the item pointed to a failure by the
Provisionals to fully decommission their weapons. However, ‘security
sources’ claimed the mystery device had fallen into the hands of one of
the breakaway IRA groups, but had lain dormant for over a decade.

It was one of a number of unexplained incidents this week, including two
explosions and three hoax alerts in County Antrim.

A small explosion was reported in Larne on Wednesday, which reportedly
damaged a fence. It provoked the PSNI to call for an evacuation of
homes, but only the following day.

Also on Wednesday, the PSNI said a “very crude device” had caused an
explosion outside a house in east Belfast.

In Newtownabbey, a suspect device was reported in the O’Neill Road area
on Thursday evening. Earlier, the M5 motorway in the town was closed in
both directions last night after “a suspicious object” was discovered.
The PSNI also claimed that a device had been left on Shore Road, and
evacuated homes in the Altnacreeva Park area on Wednesday.

All three alerts turned out to be hoaxes.

G8 TENSIONS

Meanwhile, a former London police chief has questioned how the PSNI can
cope with policing the G8 summit.

The security operation will be the largest Ireland has ever seen and
will see US president Barack Obama and Russian president Vladimir Putin
among those to gather for two days in June at a golf resort on Lough
Erne.

It is said that up to 4,000 police from England, Wales and Scotland will
be needed for the operation.

Pointing to the recent flags-related violence, Scotland Yard expert John
O’Connor said he believed the PSNI were “lacking in the ability to
control violent disorder” in the Six Counties, and questioned how they
could manage the security operation.

“Maybe the G8 shouldn’t be held in Northern Ireland,” he said. “They
have not been able to contain disorder domestically then I think it is
not a good idea at this stage,” he said.

Left-wing groups are said to be planning events in London, Dublin and
Belfast, but no plans have yet been announced for protests nearer the
event. Republican Sinn Féin have said they will be holding an ‘Irish
Anti-Imperialist Forum’ in Belfast as a “counter” to the summit.